Laura's preminiseries meeting of
by mascaret
Summary: Full Title : Laura's completely and totally canon, not at all crack, pre-miniseries meeting of Bill Adama, Lee Adama, Helena Cain, Peter Corman, Aaron Kelly, and Jackson "Dipper" Spencer.
1. Chapter 1

_Laura's completely and totally canon, not at all crack, pre-miniseries meeting of Bill Adama, Lee Adama, Helena Cain, Peter Corman, Aaron Kelly, and Jackson "Dipper" Spencer. _

_Chapter 1_

The sign on the door said 'Back in 5' but Bill had been waiting twenty.

If this was Fleet Head Quarters on Picon there would be a secretary manning a desk outside the Secretary of Defense's office and numerous other staff bustling about for him to question, but here on Caprica at the Presidential Offices the Admiral had only an unstaffed office little bigger than a closet for use while on world for Cabinet meetings.

Bill noticed that the door to the next 'closet' was slightly ajar. Giving a perfunctory knock, he stuck his head in. "I'm sorry for disturbing you, but I had a meeting with the Admiral. Do you happen to know where he went or when he will be back?"

Without even looking up from her keyboard, the woman behind the desk responded tartly. "I may be _a _Secretary, but I'm not _his_ secretary."

Bill refrained from answering back in kind. "Again my apologies, but I don't see anyone else around here to ask. Perhaps you could direct me to someone who might know where I could find him?"

"He died. He's dead."

Bill couldn't contain his shock. "I spoke to him only yesterday! He sounded fine! How did it happen?"

Around the pencil between her teeth, the woman responded dryly. "Auto-erotic asphyxiation."

She didn't seem terribly broken up about the death of her coworker. Hazarding a guess, Bill quipped. "Well for his sake I hope he at least came before he went."

That at least got a chuckle out of her. Eyes still on her keyboard, she apologized. "I'm sorry if I seem rude, its just that I've been trying to finish this speech all morning. I have a _very_ nice office down the street in the Hall of Education, but in the mistaken belief that I would get fewer interruptions I came here after this morning's Cabinet meeting instead."

Taking off her glasses, she set them beside the phone that was off its hook. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she gave him the real story. "The Attorney General had two front row seats to the pyramid playoffs on Tauron. The Secretary of Defense received one in exchange for agreeing to commandeer a battleship to take them there. The Secretary of Defense couldn't be bothered to actually cancel all of his appointments for the day – or even get his secretary to do it for him - so he left the sign."

"I see." Bill sighed. That certainly did sound like the kind of thing that the Secretary of Defense would do.

Leaning back in her chair, she closed her eyes as she continued massaging the bridge of her nose.

"Must be a pretty important speech if you've been working on it all morning." Bill observed.

"Not really. It's a two minute bit on the reopening and renaming of the elementary school down the block. If it weren't for the fact that it is right down the block I wouldn't even be attending." She admitted.

Smiling, Bill ventured. "So you're just an incredibly dedicated perfectionist who really wants to nail it."

"I wouldn't say that either."

"Maybe you just need a little break. A chance to recharge and come back at the speech fresh. Have you had lunch yet?"

"Yes, I have." She gestured to the empty energy bar wrapper on her desk. "Now if you'll excuse me I really do need to finish this speech."

Redonning her glasses, she returned to hunting and pecking away at her keyboard.

"I would hardly call that a real lunch."

"Well it seems we will just have to agree to disagree."

"I'm Bill by the way."

"Nice to meet you, Bill."

"And you are -" he prompted her.

"- I am busy. I am very, _very _busy. Now if you don't mind ..."

He should go. He should leave her be – he knew he should but there was just something about her. He didn't want to go.

She seemed so on edge over what she readily admitted to be such a little thing. "Maybe I could lend a hand. I'm not so bad at speeches myself."

Her eyes only occasionally flicking toward the computer screen and not once flicking in his direction, she kept her attention on her keyboard as she spoke. "I am sure that you are a most eloquent writer who delivers the most riveting of speeches - just as I am sure you would be a very wonderful and attentive lover, however -"

"- What?" She couldn't possibly have just said what he thought she had just said.

"- while I congratulate you for graduating at the top in your flight class -"

Frowning, Bill tried to interrupt her. "- I didn't."

"- And being the youngest person to ever make Admiral -"

Bill gave her an odd look. "- I appreciate the attempt at a promotion, but -"

"-And I concede that while my blouse is very becoming on me, if you were on me you too would be -"

At that Bill could just gape.

"- I really,_ really_ need to finish this right now. So why don't you leave so I can finish this and

tonight over drinks we could talk a little more about the many, many differences between a bed and a rack and how _very _much you would like to give me a personal demonstration of each and every one of them."

Utterly speechless, Bill just stared at the red head.

"There's a little Gemenese restaurant right down the street. Say seven forty-five?"

Bill was confused and even a slight bit disturbed. In the entire time that he had been in her office, the woman had yet to actually look at him even once. Still, he had to admit he was intrigued. At his age it wasn't everyday that he was propositioned by such a beautiful, if odd, woman. He had his misgivings, but he could figure it out tonight over drinks.

Hesitantly, he agreed. "All right."

"Good! Now on your way out close the door and make sure you close it _all the way._"

As he was closing the door, she made one last request of him. "Do be sure to keep the dress uniform on for tonight."

Things were suddenly a whole lot clearer. She was one of _those _women. The ones who were just in it for the uniform.

It was a little disappointing, but the truth was Bill wasn't entirely opposed to being used and abused in such a manner. Particularly not by such an attractive figure.

Besides, it wasn't as if he currently had the time for a long drawn out courtship. _Galactica _and her crew were shipping out in two days time for an extended deep space mission. That was actually what his meeting with the Admiral was supposed to have been about.

Heading for the exit, Bill ran into Peter Corman who he could only assume was the Secretary of Defense's next appointment of the day. Bill knew that at least a few of his own crew had evaluations scheduled for while they were in port. He would need to contact his ship and get the word out that any meetings scheduled with the Admiral were canceled for the day.

"Bill!" The Admiral's eyes didn't meet Bill's but rather shifted around awkwardly. "How are you?"

Given the way Corman had completely thrown Bill under the bus after what had happened with Bulldog, Bill wasn't surprised that the other man was uncomfortable being alone in a deserted corridor with him.

"Good and you?"

"Oh you know." Corman shrugged. "Same old."

Resisting the urge to pop the other man, Bill went for a more subtle route. "Listen, the Admiral had to step out for a few minutes, but he'll be back just as soon as he can. He needs to talk to you about something very important though so he said to tell you to wait for him to come back - no matter how long it takes."

"Right. Thanks." Corman nodded.

Bill smiled as he continued on his way out. "Anytime."

_tbc_


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Thanks mmegiry for taking the time to beta this. Any remaining errors are because of last minute changes I made.

_Chapter 2_

Entering the little Gemenese place on the corner of 42nd Street and the Presidential Boulevard a little after seven Bill looked around. The woman he had met earlier today was no where to be seen, but that was hardly surprising. He had made a point of getting there early to scope out the place.

Looking around Bill was surprised to see so many dress uniforms. The place was a bit too high class for your standard military hang out. Of course those there didn't seem to be using the place as the standard military hang out. Rather than be gathered together at the bar or at one table, each person seemed to have staked out their own little table.

Bill recognized more than a few faces. There was Admirals Cain and Nagala and even his very own CAG and LSO, Jackson 'Dipper' Spencer and Aaron Kelly, and at the table right next to his was - "Lee?!"

"Dad?!"

"It's good to see you son."

This place certainly wasn't the pay grade of a fresh academy graduate. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm meeting someone."

"A girl friend?"

"A _lady _friend." His son corrected him.

"So what's the special occasion? Her birthday? An anniversary of some kind? Or are you two just celebrating your graduation?"

"No special occasion."

"Oh?"

"It's actually our first date." Lee admitted.

"And you're really trying to impress her?"

"Actually … she suggested the place."

"I see." Bill didn't want to come across as judgmental but any girl who would suggest this place as a first date was nothing but trouble. Still that was the kind of thing a boy had to learn on his own.

"If I had realized how expensive the place was I would have tried to suggest some place different, but when she said Gemenese I just assumed ..."

Taking out his own wallet, Bill pulled out all the cubits in it and offered them to Lee. Bill could use his bank card.

"Dad I -"

"Consider it a graduation present. I was planning to take you out to dinner myself to congratulate you but you haven't returned any of my calls."

"Yeah about that – I've been busy what with studying and exams and then graduation." They both knew that Lee was lying.

Looking uncomfortable about having to do it, but finally reluctantly taking the money Lee made a request. "Look dad, it's our first date. She must be running late, but she should be here soon. I don't want her getting the wrong idea -"

"-That you brought your father along for back up?"

"Yeah. So if you could make yourself scarce ..."

"Not to worry. I'm here meeting a lady friend of my own."

"That's just … great." Looking like he really thought it anything but great, Lee flagged down a passing waitress. "Could I move to a different table?"

Steadying the lone drink on her tray, the waitress smiled at him. "Just a moment, sir. I'll drop this off and then get the maitre d' to reseat you."

Bill tried to use the delay in Lee's getaway to have a little heart to heart chat.

"Son I want you to know how proud I am of you and not just for graduating in the top of your -"

Bill was starting to get a bad feeling.

"Does the Admiral still personally hand out the certificates to the top five of every class?"

"I was supposed to meet with him today actually, but he didn't show."

His bad feeling solidified seeing Peter Corman walk in the door

Bill looked around again – this time with an eye to something else.

He knew that his two men were both planet side to receive promotions from the Secretary of Defense before _Galactica_ shipped out. He also knew that Kelly had all the couth of a herd of Tauron water buffalo. Dipper's promotion had finally come through after having been twice delayed by the official reprimands that Bill had given him for continuing to sneak civilian women aboard _Galactica_ and into the pilot's quarters despite Bill's unofficial warnings the first few times Spencer was caught doing it while they were in port.

And there was the newly promoted Admiral Cain – the youngest person to ever make Admiral – wait no. After a word with the waitress, and after knocking back the drink placed on her table, there _went_ the youngest person to ever make Admiral, leaving without even bothering to pay her bill.

Looking entirely too full of himself, Corman paused in front of Bill as the maitre d' tried to lead him to a table. With a smirk, Corman told him. "I ought to knock your block off, but I'm not going to because if it wasn't for your little stunt I wouldn't be meeting a certain very lovely and very hot to trot little lady here tonight."

"Well … no harm, no foul." Bill let Corman have his little false victory.

Having deposited Corman at a table and somewhere along the way picked up a tray carrying a single glass, the maitre d' returned to Lee. "Sir, I would be happy to seat you at another table, but the party that was to meet you here just called and asked me to extend her regrets. She won't be able to make it this evening, but she asked that I bring you a drink on her tab as way of apology."

"Well it looks like I won't be needing this." Looking understandably embarrassed at having been stood up and in front of his father, Lee threw the money he had just been given back onto Bill's table and left without so much as a goodbye.

Taking the drink intended for Lee off of the tray, Bill looked to the maitre d'. "Anything you'd like to tell me while you're here? Save yourself the trip back?"

"I'm sorry, sir. I'm sure I have no idea what you mean."

The maitre d' eyed the pile of bills.

Picking them up, Bill peeled a twenty off of the top and handed it to him.

"Anyone who comes in alone in a dress uniform we wait twenty minutes, bring a drink over, and make her apologies. I didn't want the staff to have to reset two tables so I turfed the little shit early."

"The man you just seated ..." Bill put a fifty on the table and made the maitre d' an offer. "Instead of turfing him in twenty minutes I want you to see how long you can get him to wait. I'm going to head to the dive bar across the street to get my bag on, but I'll be watching. There's another fifty in it for you for every hour you get him to stay. Get him to stick around until closing time and I'll throw in an extra hundred."

To prove he was serious, Bill counted out another hundred and put it on the table.

Without so much as a moment's hesitation, the maitre d' pocketed the money.

Bill downed the drink in one shot much like Cain had, but instead of heading out the door, Bill approached his two officers.

"Hey Commander!" Kelly greeted him.

"Come join us. We were going to get a table together." Spencer offered.

"We had dates, but we both got stood up." Kelly explained.

"Oh I'm sorry to hear that."

"We saw you sitting over there. That was your kid that walked out on you, wasn't it? He wouldn't even let you sit at the same table as him? What a douche!" Kelly shook his head.

Taking another sip from his glass, Spencer summed up what he thought of Bill's son in five words. "Should have worn a raincoat."

Bill grunted noncommittally.

Kelly flagged down the passing waitress. "Fix my good friend here up with another drink, would ya?"

From the girl's put upon expression, Bill wondered just how long his two officers had been there. "You do realize that only the first round is free, right?"

From the looks they gave her it was clear that they hadn't realized that.

"I'll bring your cheques."

After taking a glance at the bill the waitress quickly returned with and wincing, Kelly offered Spencer a wager. "See those two gorgeous girls sitting together over there? I bet you my bar bill versus your bar bill that I can get the _both _of them to buy me a drink."

"You're on." Spencer agreed.

Bill watched his landing officer swagger over towards the two young Gemenese girls.

"Could I interest one or both of you in a little cream for your coffee?"

Neither woman was drinking coffee which was fortunate for Kelly because he was soon wearing what drinks they did have.

Returning triumphantly, he pushed his cheque toward Spencer.

"I don't think that counts." Spencer argued.

"They gave me drinks. I didn't pay for them. What's not to count."

"I didn't actually bring my wallet." Spencer admitted.

Bill held up a hand to forestall the approach of the irritated looking maitre d'. "We were just leaving."

From his rapidly dwindling supply of money, Bill took out enough money to cover the two bar bills and the waitress's troubles. This was making for an expensive evening out.

"Come on you two. Let's head to the bar across the street. Along the way we can have a little discussion about your personal behavior while in uniform."

_tbc_


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Chapter 3 of 4

Thank you mmegiry for taking the time to beta this.

_Laura's completely and totally canon, not at all crack, pre-miniseries meeting of Bill Adama, Lee Adama, Helena Cain, Peter Corman, Aaron Kelly, and Jackson "Dipper" Spencer. _

_Chapter 3_

"Just a moment, sir. I need to see your visitor's badge."

Bill wondered if there had been an actual attack somewhere that had raised the threat level or just chatter. Security in this part of the building seemed to have been beefed up considerably since only the day before. This was the third time he had been stopped in as many corridors.

Still waiting for the return of his badge and permission to go ahead, Bill saw the woman from yesterday duck out of her office. Moving to the Secretary of Defense's door, she took down the message still taped to it.

Terrific thought Bill. The Secretary of Defense still wasn't back.

Unlike her fitted pencil skirt of yesterday, her loose not quite knee length skirt of today had a flirty swish to it as she turned to head back to her own office.

Smiling, she affixed the note to her own door before going back inside.

"You're clear to proceed, sir." The agent told him as he handed back Bill's badge. "Down the hall to the last door."

Making his way down the hall, Bill lingered a moment at her door. He considered knocking, but he didn't.

Thinking back to their meeting the day before, it wasn't as if she hadn't been fairly clear from the start about her lack of interest. While he wouldn't go so far as to say she had been polite about it in the beginning, it wasn't until after Bill had ignored several of her not at all subtle attempts to get him to leave that she had resorted to more drastic measures. And going off of what she had said that day it seemed like Bill had not been her only overly ardent suitor.

If anything, he should be the one to apologize, but from their interaction yesterday he was left with the distinct impression that dropping the matter entirely would be more appreciated than any apology he could offer.

"Husker! There you are."

The Secretary of Defense offered no apologies for the day before as he passed Bill and started to unlock the door to his office. "After the Cabinet meeting yesterday the President called me into his office to go over some things. I tell you that man couldn't find his own ass if he was sitting on both hands. And once he gets started talking it's just yap, yap, yap."

Turning back from the now unlocked door, the Admiral asked. "Husker, you coming?"

With one last glance at her door, Bill followed the Admiral into his office.

_tbc_


	4. Chapter 4

A/N Thank you mmegiry for taking the time to beta this.

_Chapter 4_

They were only a few minutes into their meeting in the Admiral's office when Bill first heard it.

"Did you hear that?"

"I didn't hear anything and neither did you." The Secretary of Defense flipped on the small wireless transmitter that sat on his desk. "Now where were we?"

Bill held up his hand to silence the other man. "There it is again."

It was muted and hard to hear over the chatter of the wireless, but it sounded like a moan.

The Secretary of Defense's response was to hike up the volume of the wireless.

Hearing the sound of something exceedingly loud crashing to the floor in the room next door, Bill rushed out into the hall.

Sure maybe Bill had seen the humor in last night's situation, but what was to say someone else hadn't? Suddenly the prank he had played on Peter Corman didn't seem so funny.

"Mind your own business, Husker!"

Bill tried the door, but it was locked.

The cries inside, though still muffled, were growing more frantic.

Taking a few steps back, Bill really put his shoulder into it. The doorjamb cracked and the door swung open.

The woman from yesterday was perched atop her desk.

Her blouse was unbuttoned and hanging open. Her brassiere while still on was pushed down and her cups were more than a bit spilleth over. Her hands were busy plucking at her own nipples as the rest of her body arched backwards, her hair spilling away to reveal the column of her neck.

Her wanton actions made for one hell of an erotic display. She was so far over the edge that even with the breaking down of her door it took her a few seconds to realize his presence and recover enough to react by trying to sit up and pull her blouse closed.

She made for such an erotic sight that it took Bill those few seconds to realize that there was a fully clothed torso and legs sticking out from under her skirt. Her skirt was hanging in place in the front shielding the person underneath from view, but it was lifted in the back for Bill's viewing pleasure by the hands of the man – from the tenting of the trousers Bill was confident in assuming that it was a man – who was cupping and squeezing the globes of her ass.

She tried to say something, but Bill couldn't make out exactly what given the bra's matching panties stuffed in her mouth.

As she stopped shameless grinding herself against the face of the person underneath her and tried to move off of him, the two hands that had been gripping her backside moved to grip her thighs and hold her in place.

"Don't get up." The voice under her skirt hissed.

Having finally managed to spit out her panties, she answered back. _"There's someone here!_"

"My point exactly." was the answer from below.

"Oh. Right." Angling herself in the other direction as best she could to limit Bill's view, she was still struggling to get her blouse closed without much luck. Her skirt might not be fitted, but her blouse certainly was and it wasn't going to close with her spilling out of the top of her undergarment like that. Finally coming to that conclusion herself, the woman started trying to stuff herself back into it.

Avoiding giving anything more than a cursory glance in Bill's direction – enough to take in the uniform - she informed him. "The Secretary of Defense is the next office over."

"So he is." Bill agreed.

Looking back toward the Secretary of Defense's office Bill noticed that not only had the Admiral not followed after him, the other man was so uninterested in getting involved that he had closed the door to his office after Bill's departure.

Bill's attention was drawn down the hall in the other direction as the thundering sound of many, many running feet could be heard. Pairs of men began to appear around the corner guns drawn.

Not wanting any trouble, Bill raised his hands in surrender as the arriving agents all began yelling different instructions at him.

**"Get down on the ground!"**

**"Step out of the room!"**

**"Put your hands on your head!"**

**"Show me your badge!"**

While Bill had seen a ring on one of the hands massaging her ass, he didn't remember seeing a ring on either of her hands the day before or today as he had watched mesmerized as she fondled her own breasts.

In under twenty seconds Bill had a dozen armed men with guns in his face. The building was high security, but this was ridiculous.

Given how quickly and the sheer number of security agents who came running when he kicked down the door, Bill was willing to venture a guess on who it was hiding under her skirt. He might not be able to find his own ass, but Adar seemed to have found someone's.

This woman had the president of the Twelve Colonies hiding under her skirt.

"**Sir! You are not authorized to be in this room. Where is your visitor's badge?"**

As more agents crowded the doorway and the corridor outside of her office, done straightening her blouse, but unable to move off of the desk, the woman sought something else to bring back a bit of dignity to the proceedings.

Reaching for her glasses set aside further down along the desk – as if putting them on was going to in any way help the situation - she managed to knock over not only her glasses but the telephone as well. With a jangle, the phone joined the broken lamp already on the floor – no doubt the source of the crash that Bill had been responding to – but she managed to catch up with the glasses as they fell.

However to do so she had to overreach and lost her balance. The man beneath her tried to steady her to keep her from falling off the desk, but when it became clear that that battle was a losing one he chose to just roll off the desk with her.

**"Mister -" **The agent had sense enough not to finish the address. "- Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. I'm fine." The man now hiding under the desk insisted.

"I'm fine too. Thanks for asking!" Could be heard from the other party under the desk.

"Everybody just … clear the room!" The President demanded. "And get a name!"

Arms still raised, Bill backed further out.

As one of the agents - with a poorly hidden smirk – tried to pull the broken door closed as best he could, the other agents went back to questioning him.

"Sir, where is your visitor's badge?"

His badge was sitting on a chair in the Secretary of Defense's office right where he had left it - assuming that the Admiral hadn't shredded it in an attempt to disavow all knowledge of him.

Bill tried to defuse the situation. "It's all right I was just leaving."

"What is your name, sir?"

"My name is ..."

Looking around Bill realized that none of the agents who had cleared him on his way here were amongst the ones who came running.

"... Peter Corman." Bill answered.

Saul greeted him on the hangar deck as he disembarked from his raptor. "Which do you want first? The good news or the even better news?"

Too giddy to wait for a response, Saul launched right into it. "Our extended deep space tour has just been canceled. Peter Corman 's ship just got reassigned the mission. They're shipping out as we speak."

_finis_


End file.
